Clearlake City Council passes pot ordinance

CLEARLAKE -- Compared to previous City Council discussions, where public commentary and debate lasted hours, the council blazed through the topic and adopted its medical marijuana cultivation ordinance Thursday evening.

At the regular Clearlake City Council meeting, council members voted 4-0 in favor of the pot ordinance. Councilwoman Jeri Spittler, who made it clear she was against it in past meetings, was not present.

Several people spoke during the public hearing portion of the discussion, but none presented any new arguments the council considered and they went ahead with the adoption.

Before motioning to pass the ordinance, Councilman Joey Luiz said "we're sitting up hear still having to deal with the issues because the state never stepped up" to regulate cultivation when California first passed the Compassionate Use Act of 1996.

"Here we are to do this, and we are not going to make everybody happy. Everybody in this had to give a little to get a little," Luiz continued. "I'm happy that I'm able to present this ordinance and put it on the books."

The pot ordinance, similar to one enacted by the county, prohibits cultivation of commercial medical marijuana and limits the amount of outdoor cultivation within the city limits of Clearlake. The intentions behind drafting it were to address nuisance issues such as the odor pot plants release.?

Unlike other ordinances, this one will go into affect on Jan. 1 instead of 30 days after it was adopted.

Among other items on the agenda, the council held a public hearing to consider whether to designate Pomo Road as a one-way street between Lakeshore Drive and Arrowhead Road.

About half a dozen people, mostly residents who live on the street, expressed their concern over the narrow road and the high speed of drivers, especially before and after school when children who attend Pomo School regularly walk next to the road.

Spittler initially brought up the subject of Pomo Road at a council meeting in February, and since then school busses have been re-routed to lessen traffic congestion in the area.

While council members and residents recognized safety could be further improved, they did not agree on how to address it.

"I'm not positive making it a one-way street would fix the safety issue," Councilwoman Gina Fortino Dickson said.

One concern expressed by several people about making Pomo Road a one-way street was that it would not address the speeding issue. Dickson also suggested that reducing the road to just one wider lane might make drivers feel more comfortable driving at a faster speed.

Ultimately, Mayor Joyce Overton said she'd rather wait to see how re-routing the busses would affect safety before making plans for a one-way street. She directed staff to contact the school administration to send out a letter to parents saying children should not use the road and postponed the discussion until next February during budget discussions.

The council also adopted an ordinance declaring a three-month building moratorium on Lakeshore Drive between Olympic Drive and Old Highway 53 pending a design consistency plan, as well as adopted a resolution approving a temporary street closure for the Trunk N Treat event on Oct. 1 at Redbud Park.

Berenice?Quirino?is the assistant editor for Lake County Publishing. She can be reached at 263-5636, ext. 42 or at bereniceq@record-bee.com.